Ariel Winter on why expecting women to look “appropriate” is unfair

Ariel is often the target of slut-shaming — not because of her actions (which would also be messed up), but because of her clothing choices. She recently posted a few screenshots on Instagram responding to B.S. criticism that her clothing choices equate to a lack of self-respect.

“I’m not trying to show you my ass in shorts when I go to the grocery store,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’m trying to live my life. People wear shorts. People have wardrobe malfunctions. No one is perfect.”

“I’m not a stylist! I don’t know what to wear everyday [sic] so I look ‘appropriate’ or ‘fashionable.’ Also, screw having to always look appropriate or fashionable… Who gets to decide what is appropriate or fashionable???? I wear what I like and no one should fault me for that.”

Anyone who doesn’t dress like a nun has been there.

“Just because I DECIDE to show my body occasionally doesn’t mean I’m unintelligent or that I’m talentless or that I have no self respect,” Ariel wrote. “I have EXTREME respect for myself, I HAVE talent, and I AM intelligent.”

Isn’t it sad that that even needs to be said?

“We need to move on from this stigma that women who are comfortable with their bodies and their sexuality are just ‘dumb sluts,'” she said.

The sad truth is that no matter who you are, whether or not you’re famous, the same thing can happen to you. As we’ve established, people (and especially men) tend to jump to conclusions about a woman’s moral character based on what she wears.

A lot of the time, women don’t see our body parts as inherently sexual. So it can be surprising when we leave the house thinking we look perfectly normal, only to be treated like sex objects based on that day’s clothing choice. It’s hard to understand why people will draw conclusions about us based on the appearance of our bodies, because to us, our bodies are just our bodies. Not to mention the fact that an outfit that looks totally covered-up on one woman could fit another woman in a completely different way.

I remember the first time I left the house and got cat-called by every guy I walked past. I was surprised — not just that people could be so gross and disrespectful, but also because I hadn’t even realized my outfit was revealing. What was the big deal about my body parts? It’s hard to tell what a bunch of pervy dudes will see as overtly sexual when you’re getting dressed in the morning.

Here is Ariel’s post in full. Hopefully, it will make people think twice about slut-shaming women based on their clothing choices.

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